Overview
- The overhaul replaces up to 250 opaque inputs with 12 stated criteria and introduces a single consolidated score ranging from 100 to 999.
- Payment defaults carry the most weight, with further factors including length at current address, age of the oldest credit card, recent account and credit activity, and verified identity.
- Free access will come via a phased online account sign‑up, requiring eID verification now with a postal option to follow, plus a digital cockpit to view and simulate score impacts.
- Consumer advocates report persistent data‑accuracy problems, citing 317 complaints about credit ratings in 2024, 79% involving Schufa entries, and they urge stronger duties to ensure correct data.
- Die Linke calls for abolishing the private bureau in favor of a state alternative, while Schufa and lenders emphasize the score is only one input in credit decisions.